Leatherwood Honey Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

I prefer non-custard style ice cream -- it is lighter and "fresher". And I like the balance of a more herbaceous honey - like Tasmanian Leatherwood Honey. This is a perfect winter ice cream, when there are no fresh fruits to add, and you need a nice, spicy honey to add a warmth and a little something extra to our ice cream. But you can also use a more floral honey, like Macadamia Nut Honey.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe by Patricia Wells, "The Paris Cookbook" (Harper Collins, 2001)

Ingredients:
2 plump vanilla beans. (You can used either Bourbon or Tahitian. I am partial to Tahitian.)
2 cups heavy cream - the fresher the better
1 cup whole milk
1/2 c Tasmanian Leatherwood honey


Directions:
1. Flatten vanilla beans and cut lengthwise. Scrape out seeds with a small spoon. Place seeds and pods in a large saucepan, and add the cream, milk and honey and stir until honey is dissolved. Heat over moderate heat, stirring from time to time, until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan -- about 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Remove pan from heat and let sit, covered, for an hour.

3. Refrigerate covered until completely chilled.

4. Remove vanilla pods, and stir mixture again to blend. Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

5. Spoon the finished mixture back into a lidded container and harden in the freezer at least 1 hour before serving.

Makes about 1 quart